music

What else could brighten the day of a San Quentin inmate more than a visit of living legend B.B. King? Recorded in the same correctional facility that spawned Johnny Cash's Live At San Quentin, B.B. King's recording oozes the same kind of energy that put Cash's album in the books. But with a twist: as he makes the audience applaud for the guards, this seems kind of strange on first sight. But B.B. King is no Johnny Cash: the audience knows that they are in jail for a reason, and the blues master isn't unnecessarily sympathetic of their deeds. Which is what B.B. King's brand of blues is all about: being true to yourself no matter what, and having fun while at it. Now let the good times roll!

Sings Spirituals is the fourth studio album by B. B. King, released in 1960. He is backed by organ, piano, drums and bass, and accompanied vocally by Los Angelean groups, the Charioteers and the Southern California Community Choir.